Chapter 4

The next morning, Lena woke up to the sound of her phone vibrating on the nightstand. Her eyes were heavy, head slightly foggy from all the shots last night, but she wasn't hungover—just tired.

She reached for her phone, squinting at the screen. It was a text from Ray.

Ray: Aye hoe, u up?

Lena smirked before texting back.

Lena: Barely. Wassup?

Ray: Me & Nae finna grab some food & ride. U tryna come?

Lena stretched, yawning. She had a whole day planned—content to shoot, edits to finish—but she also told herself she needed to get outside more.

Lena: Bet. What time?

Ray: Hour. Be cute.

Lena rolled her eyes playfully and tossed her phone to the side before finally dragging herself out of bed. She had barely been in Baton Rouge a week, but last night was the first time she actually felt like she was settling in.

The vibes were right. The people were cool. And Von?

She didn't know what it was about him, but that man had a presence she couldn't shake. He was quiet, unreadable, but she could feel him watching, peeping her moves without really saying much. She ain't like that. Not knowing what a person was thinking.

But then there was Cinco.

He was the exact opposite—loud, funny, had that playful, cocky energy that made it easy to talk to him. She knew he was flirting, but it wasn't heavy. It was just Cinco being Cinco.

Shaking the thoughts off, Lena made her way to the bathroom and turned on her ring light, propping her phone up on the counter.

"Aight, y'all, good morning!" she said, pressing record on her GRWM vlog.

Her freshly installed 30-inch red wig was still laid to perfection, and she ran a hand through it before throwing on a headband to keep her edges in place.

"I was out last night, but we back at it today," she continued, squeezing a dot of primer onto her fingers before blending it into her skin.

As she did her makeup, she talked to the camera like it was her homegirl—about the move, the people she met, the vibes.

"I met a new group of people. They cool as hell," she said, blending out her concealer. "One of the girls, Ray, she mad funny. Her people? They a vibe, too."

She hesitated for a split second before adding, "And it's these two dudes—one funny, one don't talk at all. Y'all already know which one gon' piss me off."

Her comments were about to eat that up.

After finishing her soft-glam beat, she slipped into a fitted two-piece set—black crop top with matching stacked leggings, hugging her waist just right. The fabric stretched across her curves, snatching her waist perfectly. She grabbed her designer tote and threw on a pair of slides before heading out.

Later...

Ray, Nae, and Lena ended up at a small soul food spot, plates full of wings, mac and cheese, and yams. The conversation was easy, full of jokes, and Lena could already tell these girls were solid.

"Ion know what y'all put in this food down here, but this mac and cheese hittin' different," Lena said between bites.

Ray laughed. "That Texas food don't stand a chance. This real soul food."

Nae smirked. "You say that now, wait til you try the seafood."

Lena took a sip of her drink. "Say less. We doin' that next."

As they ate, Ray's phone buzzed, and she glanced at it before looking at Lena.

"Aye, we might slide to Cinco's spot later."

Lena raised a brow. "Cinco got a spot?"

Ray smirked. "Yeah, him and Von. They be chillin' there when they not at the shop."

Lena's stomach flipped slightly, but she played it cool. "Oh yeah? They tat together?"

"Hell nah. Von own that shop by himself. Cinco just be posted up there sometimes."

Lena nodded slowly. She wasn't pressed to see them again, but she wasn't not pressed either.

She glanced down at her phone, scrolling through notifications. New TikTok comments, new DM requests, and a few unread messages.

And one?

From an unknown number.

"Don't get too comfortable."

Lena's stomach tensed.

She read it again, her mind immediately shifting.

Was it random? Some internet troll? Or was somebody watching her?